The strike at Zaventem Airport that has led to all outgoing flights from the Brussels airport being cancelled has seen an enormous increase in passengers departing from Ostend Airport on the west coast of the country. Returning flights are also affected.
Ostend Airport will receive about 3,500 passengers today, which is three times as many as on a normal Monday, VRT reports.
Airline TUI Fly is diverting 15 of the 24 departing flights to Ostend, three times more than usual. “It will be the busiest day in terms of passenger flights for Ostend since the attacks at Zaventem airport in 2016,” said Dieter Bruneel, Director of Operations at TUI Fly.
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“We are prepared,” said Bruneel. “We have ensured that flights are spread throughout the day. All employees must be given time to handle those flights. We have also brought extra employees to Ostend to ensure that customers are welcomed properly. They are often transferred from Brussels by bus to eventually arrive at their holiday destination.”
"It will even be the busiest day in terms of passenger flights for Ostend since the attacks at Zaventem airport in 2016," says Bruneel. “We have a strong team in Ostend and good partners who will be able to handle the busy day.”
